This invention relates to conveying devices. Specifically, this invention relates to an improved conveyor belt drive roller.
Conveyor belt systems for moving goods are well known in the art. The standard conveyor belt system has a conveyor support assembly, a drive roller, a tail roller, and a conveyor belt stretched between the two rollers. The drive roller is attached to a motor or engine system which turns the drive roller. Since the conveyor belt is stretched between the drive roller and the tail roller, the action of the rotating drive roller moves the conveyor belt in a linear fashion between the drive roller and the tail roller. As a result, objects which are placed on the conveyor belt move along the path of the belt from one end to the other.
Traditionally, the drive rollers for these systems were elongated cylindrical devices which rotated about an axis and were connected to a driving force. The surface of the cylinder device was generally smooth and relied upon the friction between the cylinder surface and the conveyor belt which was typically rubber to provide the driving force to drive the belt. Over the years, improvements have been made to increase the driving force of the belt through devices such as knurling the drive roller and forming a belt groove into the drive roller, and attaching a belt, such as a V-belt, to the bottom or inside of the conveyor belt which road in the belt groove and gave greater driving force and reduced axial and linear sliding of the conveyor belt on the drive roller. A further improvement to the conveying system is shown in Patent Application Publication No. US2004/0089519 A1 where a conveyor belt has a plurality of belt teeth or lugs and a plurality of recesses or grooves on the drive roller, therefore the drive roller grooves receive the belt lugs and give an even more positive driving force for the belt.
One of the problems of the prior art is that if a traditional flat drive roller is used, only a traditional flat bottomed conveyor belt can be used on that system. With a belt conveyor system or a belt teeth/lug system is used, then only that belt or a traditional flat conveyor belt can be used with the corresponding drive roller. In other words, a belt conveyor belt cannot be used on a lug-type drive roller and visa versa. This creates a need to keep on hand multiple conveyor belts which mate specifically with the conveyor system's drive pulley.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to have a universal conveyor drive roller which will work with any of the aforementioned types of conveyor belts.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved conveyor belt drive roller.
A further feature of the present invention is a drive roller which is easy to wash down and clean out of by-products that could possibly accumulate on the conveyor belt.
A further objective of the present invention is a conveying system which is capable of using traditional or improved conveyor belts.
A further objective of the current invention is a method of creating a universal drive roller for a conveyor belt system.
A further objective of the current invention is a provision of a conveyor belt drive roller which is economical to manufacture, durable in use, and efficient in operation.
One or more of these or other objects, features or advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims that follow.